Thursday, March 22, 2012

Some Strip Cavity Searches By Milwaukee Police Gang Unit From District 5 Occurred In Public

Edward Flynn

Victims of alleged illegal cavity searches by police coming forward.

By H. Nelson Goodson
March 22, 2012

Milwaukee - The Milwaukee police special gang unit from the 5th District Police Station have been placed on administrative duty and their police powers have been temporarily suspended. They have also been reassigned to desk duty on other districts pending the outcome of the investigation.
At least 8 officers, including a sergeant have been targeted in the internal investigation that was initiated by the department after complaints surfaced, according to Edward Flynn, Milwaukee Chief of Police.
On Thursday, Chief Flynn confirmed that an internal investigation had been launched to investigate alleged illegal cavity searches in public and at the District 5 station by the officers in question. The public should not jump into conclusion about the searches, some of the allegations could be false and other allegations could be true, according to Flynn.
The officers accused of illegal searches might have violated department policy. The sergeant involved apparently lacked proper authority by rank and file supervisors to approve cavity searches. Most of the searches were conducted on suspected drug users stopped by police on the field, according to Flynn.
Some of the victims who are mostly black males are stepping forward and filing complaints against the accused officers, local media outlets reported. The victims claimed they were stopped without cause and searched in public.
A victim says, police made him lower his trousers in public during the day. He was padded down while other pedestrians looked on or people drove by.
Black women are also expected to come forward and admit that alleged cavity searches by the police gang unit were done on them as well. Illegal cavity searches by police might have violated the civil rights of the victims involved.
Chief Flynn called on the community in the District 5 area and those who believe they were victimized by the accused officers to come forward and file complaints with the Fire and Police Commission.
So far, no information has been released by the department of how wide the problem of cavity searches has spread, or if other police gang units assigned to other district stations have engaged in illegal cavity searches.

About Me

"Words conveyed by wisdom and truth influence inevitable change, Las palabras que contienen sabiduria y verdad influyen inevitablemente al cambio", H. Nelson Goodson said.
Goodson is well known in the local organizing community network. Nationally, Goodson is one of the foremost respected immigration rights and reform journalist.
He is also one of America's foremost Latino civil libertarian.
The Badger Blogger 2008, Patrick wrote: Mr. H. Nelson Goodson, "You have covered things that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper won't and you cover it in a way they fear." Posted on Badger Blogger on August 17th, 2007 at 6:39 p.m.
Goodson was instrumental in helping to coordinate the national Immigration movement early in 2006, which drew millions of supporters for immigration rights and reform. Goodson further encouraged numerous members of the Latino entertainment world to endorse and support immigration reform throughout the nation in 2006, published in "El Conquistador Newspaper" issue on November 21, 2008 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A.
Currently, Goodson has more than 32 years experience in news investigative reporting. (2015)

Immigration March 2007

Goodson marched with immigrants calling for a just comprehensive immigration reform, which would create a path for legalization for more than 13 million undocumented immigrants and to keep families together.